The Fantasy Football Scout Team of the Season awards continue with another poll for you to vote in.
This instalment focuses on the defenders.
We have 12 contenders for your consideration, compiled based on criteria such as overall score, points per match and value.
Each user is allowed five votes.
You can cast your vote here or on the sidebar.
Our poll will stay open till Tuesday 26 May at 23:59 BST for those wanting to see how Gameweek 38 pans out before committing their votes.
GABRIEL MAGALHAES / JURRIEN TIMBER
- Points: 208 / 149
- Points per match: 6.7 / 5.0
- Start cost: £6.0m / £5.5m
- Current cost: £7.3m / £6.0m
- Value (points per million): 28.5 / 24.8
It has been a superb season for Gabriel, who is the only defender to crack the 200-point mark.
Remember, the most points by a defender in a single campaign is Andrew Robertson’s (£5.7m) 213 in 2018/19.
The fact that Gabriel is so close to that tally, albeit with the addition of defensive contribution (DefCon) points, is a further indication of his quality.
This season, the Brazilian has netted three goals and supplied five assists across 31 matches. He’s also kept 18 clean sheets, which is three more than any other defender, as well as banking 22 DefCons. He’s by far the best defender for bonus points (30), too.
As for Timber, he’s missed a chunk of the season due to injury, but likely finishing as the third-highest FPL defender for points per match is nothing to be sniffed at.
Although he’s started only 28 matches, the Dutchman has still amassed 149 points.
His peak came in Gameweek 2, when he racked up three attacking returns (two goals, one assist) in a 5-0 win over Leeds United and came away with a whopping 24 points in one match. That remains the best score by any player in a single game this season!
Timber still managed some decent hauls after that, too, so it’s hard to say 2025/26 was not a success for him as a Fantasy asset, even though he hasn’t featured since Gameweek 30.
MARC GUEHI / NICO O’REILLY
- Points: 179 / 160
- Points per match: 5.1 / 4.7
- Start cost: £4.5m / £5.0m
- Current cost: £5.1m / £5.3m
- Value (points per million): 35.1 / 30.2
Guehi has been a really solid option at the back this season, with the centre-half second among FPL defenders for points.
In the first half of 2025/26 at Crystal Palace, he chipped in with six attacking returns (two goals, four assists) in 20 matches. He also delivered seven clean sheets, 16 DefCon points and eight bonus, averaging 5.3 points per match.
At Manchester City, he’s been a secure starter in 15 matches thus far, with one goal, one assist, seven clean sheets, six DefCon points and six bonus, averaging 4.9 points per match.
Guehi, who started at a now unthinkable £4.5m, is consequently FPL’s best-value player of 2025/26, based on points per million.
However, since Guehi’s arrival in Manchester, he’s been outscored by fellow City defender O’Reilly.
The England international, who has excelled from both left-back and central midfield in a breakout campaign, has racked up 29 starts and five substitute appearances. In that time, he’s scored five goals and supplied four assists.
But since the turn of the year, O’Reilly’s points per start average is actually 5.7, a superior rate to every other defender except Gabriel.
Given his output, O’Reilly is poised for a significant price rise in 2026/27.
NORDI MUKIELE
- Points: 147
- Points per match: 4.7
- Start cost: £4.0m
- Current cost: £4.6m
- Value (points per million): 32.0
Mukiele has felt like a cheat code for much of the season.
Three goals, five assists, nine clean sheets, 24 DefCon points, 11 bonus and 4.7 points per match, all for a man who started the season at just £4.0m.
Mukiele has secured five double-digit returns so far, including a whopping 17-point haul against Wolverhampton Wanderers in Gameweek 8.
The fact that he reached those tallies from such a dirt-cheap price makes the achievements all the more noteworthy, of course.
Without wanting to influence the vote, it’s safe to say Mukiele has a great chance of making an appearance in our Team of the Season.
VIRGIL VAN DIJK
- Points: 173
- Points per match: 4.7
- Start cost: £6.0m
- Current cost: £6.0m
- Value (points per million): 28.8
van Dijk has found the net six times this season, the most of any defender.
It’s mainly that statistic which earns the Dutchman his place on this shortlist.
That’s because it was far from a perfect campaign, as the clean sheets did drop off for Liverpool this year, with van Dijk’s total of 10 well below expectations.
Still, a 4.7 points per match average makes it a solid all-around season, even if it does fall short of some of the other players on this list.
Owners will fondly remember van Dijk’s 17-point haul at Sunderland in Gameweek 26, which included a goal, clean sheet, DefCon and maximum bonus.
MARCOS SENESI / ADRIEN TRUFFERT / JAMES HILL
- Points: 173 / 159 / 107
- Points per match: 4.8 / 4.3 / 3.9
- Start cost: £4.5m / £4.5m / £4.0m
- Current cost: £5.2m / £4.8m / £4.2m
- Value (points per million): 33.3 / 33.1 / 25.5
Although they’ve conceded plenty of goals (53), Bournemouth have still had one of the better defences this season, with 11 clean sheets.
That’s the joint-fourth most of any team, tied with Sunderland and Everton.
Across the campaign, Senesi, Truffert and Hill have each had their strong points.
Senesi and Truffert were regulars throughout, with 36 and 37 starts respectively.
Senesi has been a real DefCon magnet, hitting the threshold 25 times, the most of any defender. Thanks to his eye for a pass, he also chipped in with six assists.
Truffert, meanwhile, has crept under the radar. However, the left-back, who produced one goal and five assists, is FPL’s third-best-value player of 2025/26 based on points per million, behind Guehi and Senesi.
As for Hill, he had to wait for his turn, but from Gameweek 19 onwards, he has been an ever-present feature at centre-back in Andoni Iraola’s XI.
Since then, Hill has combined three assists with 26 DefCon points, the most of any defender and six more than Senesi in that period, so it’s no surprise he’s become the go-to budget option for many Fantasy managers.
JAMES TARKOWSKI
- Points: 167
- Points per match: 4.6
- Start cost: £5.5m
- Current cost: £5.8m
- Value (points per million): 28.8
There was plenty of fanfare around Tarkowski in the FPL community during pre-season, with the Everton man the DefCon poster boy.
And he certainly backed that up, banking DefCon in 21 out of his 36 appearances.
Across the season, only Senesi hit the threshold more often.
The centre-half also registered 16 attacking returns/clean sheets, averaging 4.6 points per match – a mean that was trumped by only eight other defenders.
MAXENCE LACROIX
- Points: 154
- Points per match: 4.4
- Start cost: £5.0m
- Current cost: £5.2m
- Value (points per million): 29.6
Lacroix probably won’t pick up a lot of votes in this poll.
Nevertheless, he has produced 154 points over the season, the eighth-most of any defender.
The Frenchman has banked 11 clean sheets, but what Lacroix really offered was DefCon potential – no FPL defender racked up more defensive contribution points except Senesi and Tarkowski.
Palace’s season has somewhat petered out in the Premier League, with Europe very much the focus for Oliver Glasner’s men, but Lacroix has still averaged a commendable 4.4 points per match.
JAN PAUL VAN HECKE
- Points: 147
- Points per match: 4.2
- Start cost: £4.5m
- Current cost: £4.7m
- Value (points per million): 31.3
Of the FPL defenders who started the season at £4.5m, van Hecke has scored the third-most points, only behind Guehi and Truffert.
Having missed just two games due to illness/injury, the Dutch stopper combined a ‘nailed’ status with attacking threat from set-piece situations and DefCon potential.
van Hecke has scored three goals and supplied three assists.
He’s also racked up 34 DefCon points, the seventh-most of any defender.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s form really picked up in the second half of the campaign, too: from Gameweek 20 onwards, van Hecke averaged 4.6 points per start, compared to 3.8 points per start before that.
